Friday, July 20, 2018

Yes, but I CAN'T get up

"Yes, but I can't get up," I wailed,
letting him know he would have to help me get to a sitting position.

This "whatever it is" is so frustrating
because things look so easy and I feel like there should be no
problem doing them, until I try and then discover how much my body rebels.

After I explained my symptoms to the PT, he
said he would give me some exercises to do all of which could be done on a
bed. To demonstrate, he lay down on the table and then showed how all
I had to do was raise each leg up 90 degrees five times and then the other
leg five times.

Now it was my turn. Well, first of all,
I could not get into a prone position without help, but once lying down I
tried to lift my left leg and it would only go up about 6" and then I tried
the right leg and I couldn't get that an inch off the table. So he
decided he would steady my leg and have me move it out to the side and back.
Moving it to the side was surprisingly easy, but putting it back on the
table was impossible. It was like trying to lift my leg into the car
each day.

The arm exercises were easier and Ned has
some small weights he will loan me as the strength starts to build up again
(I hope). The "core" exercise, which involves standing and tightening
my buttocks is very easy--something I cando!

I came home with a bunch of exercises and not
sure how much they will help, but I will do them.

It's frustrating that things which should be
easy are impossible. The PT was saying to do one thing and then
roll over and do the other...but I have not been able to "roll over' for
months. I never thought much about it because it was not a skill I needed
until I had the first fall a couple of months ago and asked them to roll me
over and discovered it was impossible.

When I was still able to sleep on the couch,
it became impossible for me to get to my side, which was my preferred
position for sleep and two or three times was so immobilized that I could
not get off the couch. I wish I had recognized these symptoms then and
not just chalked it up to weight. After the first time, I moved a
heavy table near the couch so that I could grab it and pull myself upright,
with difficulty, but successfully.

I was able to sleep fairly well last night.
I figured out how to sleep on my side in the recliner. It ain't
easy, but the pain in my butt disappeared and I was able to sleep for
several hours.

Ned has a plethora of things he want to do to
make life easier for me, but I have not given up the hope of getting
better and don't want to go whole hog revising the house if I"m going to get
back to normal again. Give me a few months for 'acceptance' of what a
new normal is going to be, if it is indeed going to be a new normal, before
we totally remodel the house..

Speaking of which, this is going to be a
noisy couple of days.

We are having new siding put on the house,
and the house repainted and the hammering started about an hour ago.
It's driving Polly crazy and the combination of the hammering in my ear and
Polly's barking is going to be very....uh....interesting.

Today we are back to the doctor again, this
time for my mother's annual exam. Once again, I am putting the burden
of getting her ready for the appointment on Atria and will pick her
up, readily dressed and ready to go, at the back door, so I don't have to
walk all the way back there. I could walk all the way back
there, but if you have a "condition" might as well take advantage of it when
you have the opportunity, especially when you are paying Atria big bucks for
her care!